Here, each hat holds the memory of its maker and wearer. More than just exhibits, they are symbols of a city shaped by industry and the knowledge of its artisans. At the Hat Museum, tradition and innovation intersect to breathe new life into this unique heritage, inviting you to discover stories that live on.
The exhibition “20 Years of History | 20 Years of Future” revisits the creators — national and international — who, over the past two decades, have helped to build the history of the Chapelaria Museum.
The Museum of Lisbon – Milling Factory, a centre under construction at the Museum of Lisbon, organises an annual meeting dedicated to industrial heritage. In 2026, the theme of the meeting will be "What is memory worth? Rehabilitation and reuse of industrial buildings". The scientific and executive coordination will be shared between the Museum of Lisbon/Lisbon Culture and the Hat Museum.
The exhibition, created in partnership with the Pediatrics Service of Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO) in Porto, features exclusive productions by Alexandra Moura, Andreia Lobato, Celsus, Juliana Regadas - Le Trap, Katty Xiomara, Luís Stoffel and Sofia Caldas - Avo Atelier. At the same time, different IPO services in Porto have joined this cause and created hats... with the heart!
On 27 November 2025, the Hat Museum hosted another edition of the “Visitas em Rede” programme of the Portuguese Museum Network.
The visit was attended by the technical team of the Portuguese Museum Network, as well as by directors and museum professionals from across the country.
During this visit, the Museum’s refurbished exhibition was presented, the result of a project supported by ProMuseus 2023.
On 14 November, the Hat Museum took part in the 8th Conference of the Algarve Museum Network.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the Faro Convention (2005), the paper ''From Unhas Negras (Black Nails) to Heritage: a Relationship with History(ies)'' was presented. It addressed the museological and heritage-related challenges involved in the way the Museum integrates the hat-making community into the museological process, preserving not only objects and memories, but also putting into practice the notion of heritage as a living and participatory process.
Dear and dear visitors, We want to express our deep gratitude to the nearly three hundred people who honored us with their presence at the Hat Museum during the celebrations of International Museum Day 2024. This year’s theme, "Museums, Education and Research", highlighted the importance of cultural institutions in offering a complete educational experience. Your enthusiastic participation contributed to the success of the celebrations that took place on the weekend of 18 and 19 May, as well as to the promotion of a more conscious, sustainable and inclusive world. We will continue to work with dedication to deliver enriching and memorable cultural experiences. Thank you for being part of this cultural journey.
The World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated annually on 23 April. This day was proclaimed at the 28th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1995. The purpose of this day is to promote reading and copyright protection. It also highlights the importance of books as a basic element of education and the progress of a society. The Hat Museum highlights the novel "Unhas Negras" of the Sanjoanense writer João da Silva Correia, which tells the hard life of the workers of the hat industry in the early twentieth century. In those damn machines, you put the rabbits still alive on one side, and ready-made hats on the other. But if by chance the work brings defect, there is no greater difficulty. Return the rabbits to the gear, and she restores the rabbits, alive again! Unhas Negras The book is for sale in the museum shop.
